September 13, 2010

Lead Pencil Studio is the tandem of Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo, two incredibly talented designers whoes work blends art and architecture in innovative ways that explore people's perception of space. This hybrid allows them the flexibility to push new boundaries in design and free them from some of the constraints of a more traditional approach to these fields. In 2006 they worked with the context of the Maryhill Museum to create an installation, reflecting the form of the museum across the chasm of the Columbia River Gorge. It was a beautiful and poetic work as the translucent structure rippled in the winds and sat stoically in a vast landscape.

The fantastic book we are giving away elegantly describes the project through captivating images and text that explains the concept and approach to the design of the project. The book is autographed by Annie Han and Daniel Mihalyo and was generously donated to us to give away to our readers.

To enter the contest you must leave a comment on this post or mention us in a tweet (@talkitect). We will chose a luck winner at random and announce it here on October 1st. The winner will have one week to contact us with their mailing address to receive the prize. Goodluck adn thanks for reading!

September 8, 2010

There are some amazing photographs in this presentation. Unfortunately the quality isn't very high. Still, the images are incredibly inspiring and speak about the dramatic effect we are having on the landscape.

September 6, 2010

We recently received a review copy of Shigeru Ban: Complete Works 1985-2010 from Taschen and I can't say enough how fantastic this book is. The beautiful large format book displays the varied architecture through graceful images, informative diagrams and drawing, while offering insightful text and analysis. Sketches from Shigeru Ban and his staff follow the introduction as it explains his methods and design process. Furthermore, the books highlights the fascinating morphosis of Shigeru Ban's work, as he started out with smaller residences and grew to gain larger commisions culminating in the recently completed Centre Pompidou-Metz - Shigeru Ban's addition to the Pompidou franchise that began with Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers' fascinating building. It also followed his exploration of materiality, particularly the use of paper tubes as structural members.

Of particular note is Shigeru's work for humanitarian causes, exploring light weight, transportable shelters for disaster relief areas as well as affordable housing in developing nations. It is refreshing to see such a renowned architect work on projects that aren't just glitzy museums and houses for rich clients. This type of work shows his humanity and humbleness yet highlights his creativity as he designs innovative solutions within extremely tight budgets.

All in all, this is a fantastic retrospective of the career of one of today's top architects. I wouldn't be surprised if in a few months Shigeru Ban's name lands as the finalist to the prestigious Pritzker Prize. I would highly recommend this book for any library, as the beautiful images make for an ideal coffee table book while the content acts as inspiration for anyone interested in architecture or design. This fantastic title from Taschen should be at the top of any wish list.